A New Beginning
by Alaskapigeon
Summary: What if the clans were made up of humans? Many Newleafs ago, the clans were made up of the strongest humans, whose blood ran thick with the desire to be wild and free.Now, the task falls to Robin to rebuild the ancient clans, and fulfill the new prophecy.
1. The Clans Rebirth

_Robin was running through a forest. Her light brown hair streamed behind her, and she sprinted faster than she ever had before. She moved silently over the ground, until she heard a crash behind a grove of trees. She stopped and saw a huge stag. It was a beautiful tawny color, and as it knelt down to graze, Robin had a strange urge. She leaped at the deer and saw panic in its eyes as her claws sank into its hide._

Robin jolted awake. Another dream. She looked out the window at the forest outside of her home. At night it seemed menacing, as if it were growing closer. And yet...she longed to leave her small cottage and go to the forest. She often had strange thoughts and dreams of the forest, but she didn't know what to make of them.

She couldn't go back to sleep, so she got out of bed, and went to get a drink of water. Even though her house was beautiful, it felt so...artificial. She hated it. The water she drank tasted metallic and the food she bought from the store made her retch. She didn't understand why. She used to love burgers, chips, and other junk food. Now that she had no chance of going back to sleep, she opened her door, and went out to her garden. Silvery moonlight bathed the garden in its rays. Robin smelled pine from the forest, and mint that she had planted by her porch.

She sat outside on her porch for awhile, then began to feel drowsy. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement in the forest. Lightening fast, she jumped up and her eyes were drawn to the movement. _There was something out there._ Robin shivered, and strained her eyes to see more. No, it must have just been her mind playing tricks on her. She went back inside, and immediately fell asleep.

_An old man, with scars all across his face stared at her._

_ "Agh!" Robin shrieked at his appearance. She backed up and bumped into a beautiful young woman, who's eyes were fierce and full of anger. Robin turned around again, and ran into a small child, who was so beautiful, it made her pause. The man grabbed her shoulder, and she tried to get away again, but he simply said, "Sit." _

_ Instantly, Robin did as she was told. She looked around, and saw she was in the forest. All around her sat hundreds of other men, women, and children. All of them had silver hair, and their skin was pale and shimmery. She shivered in the cold night air. She looked at the man who had told her to sit, and he jumped onto a large boulder in front of all the people. There were already four others up there, two women, and two other men. Many of the people in the crowd were muttering angrily. One of them, a man who looked about thirty, stood up._

_ "This is ridiculous! How can you expect one of _them _to help us?"_

_ At his words, one of the women on the boulder stood up. "Stipepelt! Sit down, and shut your mouth, you are embarrassing your clan!" she growled angrily. She seemed younger than the man who had stood up, but he seemed to obey her and though he still looked angry, he also looked distressed at angering the woman._

_ "Easy, Birchstar," said the man with scars who Robin had first seen, "They have a right to question this decision. Our fate lies in the hands of this Other."_

_ "Take care of your own clan, Cloudstar! Mine can do without the help of one of _them._"_

_ Another man on the boulder stepped forward, "That's enough, both of you. We have a mission."_

_ Neither Cloudstar, nor Birchstar looked happy about his outburst, but they listened and were quiet. The man now looked down at Robin._

_ "Do you know why we have brought you here, Other?"_

_ Robin paused for a moment, "I'm not sure, but does it have something to do with the forest?"_

_ The man nodded, "It has everything to do with the forest," he looked at her for a moment before continuing, "Though you do not know it, many moons ago, there were five clans who called this forest home."_

_ "Clans?" Robin interrupted._

_ "Yes. You might call them...tribes or something of that sort. They were Riverclan, Windclan, __Shadowclan, Skyclan, and my own clan, Thunderclan. Each of these clans, lived in a special part of the forest, that they were best suited to. Riverclan lived in a marshy area that a river ran through. They were the best swimmers and caught mostly fish, and other animals that lived in the river. Windclan lived in a hilly area with few trees. They were the fastest, and hunted rabbits and antelope. Shadowclan lived in a dark, thick part of the forest. They crept among the shadows, and had quick reflexes to catch frogs, rats, and other small creatures. Skyclan lived in the part of the forest with the tallest trees. They could climb trees better than anyone else, and caught birds and squirrels with ease. Thunderclan, lived in a part of the forest with lots of undergrowth. They weren't particularly fast or good at any one style of hunting, but they were the strongest, and could bring down full grown bucks by themselves."_

_ "When you say 'caught', do you mean with guns, and bows and arrows?"_

_ The man scowled, "We do not need to anything to help us catch out prey. Our weapons are our teeth, hands, and feet. To use anything else would be cruel, and unfair. It is part of the warrior code that we must hunt with only the weapons we are born with._

_ "What's the warrior code?"_

_ The crowd gasped, but the man looked understanding, "The warrior code is the most important part of the clans. It tells us how we must live our lives correctly, so that we may be courageous, strong, and honor Starclan. There are sixteen rules you must follow. First, you must defend your clan with your life. You may have friends in other clans, but if your clans go to war, you must be prepared to fight them. Second, you may not hunt on another clan's territory, or trespass without good reason. You must also feed elders and kits before you feed yourself. There, are several more laws, but now is not the time to learn them. We have called you here, because it is your destiny to help us."_

_ "How can I help you?" Robin wondered out loud._

_ "You must rebuild the clans."_

_ Robin was shocked, "How can I do that? I'm just one person! Besides, I saw someone running around in the woods earlier. They were probably from one of the clans."_

_ The man shook his head, "That was Cloudstar. We are warriors of Starclan, and we no longer walk the earth, except to inform clan leaders and medicine cats of prophecies. This is the clan of the dead, and we are all that's left of the clans."_

_ "How do you expect me to help you? And why _me?_ Isn't there anyone else who can help you?"_

_ "We chose you, because your ancestors are part of the clans. The blood of the clans lies strongest in you."_

_ To say Robin was blown away by this news, would be an understatement, "But...but...." Robin sighed and asked, "How can I help you?"_

_ "You must find others to join the clans. You must find at least ten for each clan, not including kits. Take them to the forest, and never return to this half life."_

_ The silver people began to fade._

_ "Wait! How will I speak to you?"_

_ "We will come when there is need to teach you more, Robin. Go now, at the new day, and find those with the blood of the clans."_

Robin woke up to find the sun shining through the window. She sighed. Better call in sick today. She had a lot to do.


	2. Roseheart

**Author's Note: For this and last chapter, I do not own Warriors, I only own the characters and plot to this story. :) Also, I made a mistake in the last chapter and wrote medicine cats. It should've been Medicine Men, so please forgive me for that.**

Robin called in sick to work, and wondered how she should begin. Most people would think she was crazy if she started talking about living in clans, in the woods. Nobody _she _knew would be interested, and to ask complete strangers would be madness.

She placed her head in her hands, "What am I going to do?"

A voice whispered in her ear, _"Rose Heart"_

Robin looked up, but no one was there, and who on earth was Rose Heart? She picked up a phone book and began to search for the name. There. 97 Storm Street. That was only a few blocks away. Robin went outside, thought about driving, but for some reason, decided to walk.

A few minutes later, she arrived at the residence of Rose Heart. She knocked on the door. She didn't hear anyone coming, and was about to leave, when the door opened.

"Who are you?" A short, old woman stood in the doorway. She was dark-skinned, but had shocking green eyes, and looked like she was about to hit Robin upside the head with her cane.

"Mrs. Heart?" Robin asked.

"That would be Ms. Heart, to you. What do you want?"

"Erm...would you happen to know anything about the clans?"  
The old woman's eyes widened, and she pulled Rose inside, "Let's talk in _here," _she quickly pushed Robin onto a faded couch, and demanded, "How do you know about the clans?"

"I should ask you the same thing!"

The old woman's eyes glazed over, and Robin worried that she had killed her when she muttered, "Roseheart."

"Yes_, _that _is _your name. Good job."

"No, you stupid girl, my name isn't Rose Heart, it's Roseheart. My mother gave me a clan name, but the government needed a last name to fill out forms and such."

Now Robin was excited, and no longer minded the Roseheart's former rudeness, "You were in the clans?"

"No! I'm not that old," Robin's heart dropped, before Roseheart said, "My grandmother was, and she taught all their ways to my mother, and my mother taught me."

"What if I told you I was rebuilding the clans?"

Roseheart's eyes narrowed, "How, exactly?"  
Robin told her everything that had happened the night before.

"...And so, a voice told me to come here, and ask you about the clans. Can you answer my questions?"

The old woman nodded, "I trust you, what do you want to know."

Robin's head buzzed with questions, and she blurted out the first that came to her head, "What was your grandmother's name?"

"Her name was Nightsky. My mother's name was Leopardclaws. My grandmother was deputy, before the clans fell."

"How did the clans fall?"

Roseheart looked somber, "It's not my business to tell you. One day, if and when the time is right for you to know, Starclan will tell you."

Robin didn't want to push it so she asked, "What clans were your grandmother and mother in?"  
"By the time my mother was born, the clans were gone, but my grandmother was part of Thunderclan."

Robin remembered her meeting with the Starclan members and she remembered they used odd terms, "What are elders, kits, deputies, and Medicine Men ?"  
"Elders are men and women who are too old to hunt or fight anymore, or younger people who are badly injured and can't be healed. Kits are young children, under the age of six Newleafs old. Deputies were leaders assistants, and would be the new leader if the current leader died or retired. Medicine men, despite the name could be men or women. They knew some hunting and fighting moves, but their main purposes were to heal injured people and to make sense of prophecies from Starclan. There were also apprentices and warriors. Apprentices were older children in training to be warriors, and warriors were the people who fought and hunted for the clan. The leader and deputy also fought and hunted."

"What is Newleaf?"

"It's a season. Newleaf was Spring, Greenleaf was Summer, Leaffall, was Autumn, and Noleaf was Winter."

"Could you tell me the rest of the warrior code?"

Roseheart thought for a moment, "I think the man you talked to left off at was the rule about feeding elders and kits first, right?" Robin nodded, "Well then, the next rule was not to play with pray, and to give thanks for their lives. Also, kits could not be made apprentices until they were at least six Newleafs old, and they often weren't allowed in battle until they were a little older than that. When apprentices were first made warriors, they had to hold a silent vigil the night of their warrior ceremony, to think about their responsibility to protect their clan. A warrior couldn't be made a deputy until they had taught at least one apprentice. Another rule about deputies that I already told you, was that they became the new leader when the old leader died or retired....What else? Oh, if a deputy died or retired, they had to be replace by Moonhigh," At Robin's puzzled look, she said, "Moonhigh was Midnight. And another important part of the warrior code, was that every full moon, all the clans would meet and have a Gathering to discuss what was happening during that time. There couldn't be any fighting under the full moon. Clans were required to mark their borders every day, with some sort of sign, like a piece of animal skin tied around a tree trunk, or carving a marking into a piece of wood or stone. Also, a warrior must protect and help any kit, even one from another clan. It is frowned on to kill in battle except in self defense, or if that person broke the warrior code. You must always listen to your leader, unless it goes against the warrior code. You must never use weapons in battle or to hunt prey, and most importantly, you must reject the soft life that normal men live. If you leave your clan, you leave forever."

Robin let all this information sink in. Somehow, none of it bothered her, even the part about dying. _People died living like this, _she thought, _Then again, people have to die sometime._

Roseheart was quiet, before she asked, "What clan are you part of?"

Robin was surprised, "I never thought about it before, but since you're Thunderclan and I'll need your help, I guess I'm Thunderclan too. Besides, I don't have any of the skills that the other clans do."

"If you're Thunderclan, then there is a gift I must give you as your elder, and the only other member of Thunderclan left," Roseheart paused dramatically, "As your elder, and as a member of Thunderclan, I give you the name of leader. From now on, until the day you join Starclan, you will be known as Robinstar. I can not give you the nine lives that are yours as a leader. Starclan will give you your lives when they see fit, but you now have your name."

"Nine lives?"

"Yes," Roseheart nodded, "Each leader had nine lives given to them by Starclan."

"_Nine lives?_"

"As a leader, Starclan will give you nine lives, that is, you will come back to life nine times, so that you can protect your clan as long as possible."

"I need to sit down," For a moment, Robinstar sat quietly, "Why is my name Robinstar?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Depending on what part of clan life you were part of, you had a different ending to your name. When you are first born, your name ends in -kit. You keep that ending until you are made an apprentice, when the last part of your name is -paw. As a warrior, the last part of your name could be anything, but if you're made a leader, the last part of your name is -star. For example, if a child is born named Thunderkit, he will become Thunderpaw, then his warrior name could be something like Thunderheart or Thunderstorm. If he were made leader, his name would be Thunderstar."

"Where are we going to find people for the clans?"

"We can only wait for Starclan to tell us."


	3. The Meeting

**Author's Note: I don't own Warriors. Also, thanks to my fans and reviewers. :)**

The next day, Robinstar was distressed. She hadn't had any dreams from Starclan, and she didn't know where to start looking for people to join the clans. She talked to Roseheart, and she agreed to put up fliers asking for people who wanted to live a natural life in the woods. It would probably only attract weirdos, but they had included a few clan words in case anyone else knew the story of the clans. In a few nights, she would hold the meeting at her home. She was very nervous, and kept waiting for another message from Starclan. It didn't come.

The night of the meeting, Roseheart arrived at her house early, and helped her to make several presentation boards, explaining clan life to people who were interested. The doorbell rang. When Robinstar opened the door, she was surprised to see a young woman, about twenty five, with two small children who appeared to be twins.

The woman appeared very nervous, "Is this the house where the "clan meeting" is being held?"

"Yes it is," Robinstar replied, "Please make yourself at home," Robinstar smiled to put the woman at ease and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Gwen," she pushed a strand of dark brown strand of hair behind her ear, "And these are my children, Nicole and Sammy."

Robinstar shook hands with Gwen, "I'm so happy to meet you. My name is Robinstar, and this is my...grandmother Roseheart."

Gwen looked quickly from the pale Robinstar, to the dark skinned Roseheart, "What interesting names."

"They're warrior names. If you decide to join the clans, you and your children will receive names like them too."

"Warrior names?"

Robinstar started to explain about warriors, when the doorbell rang again. This time, it was a group of several teens who looked about eighteen or nineteen.

"Why do we have to come here, Maria?" Asked a girl with spiky bubblegum pink hair.

"Yeah, why are we here?" Asked a boy whose black hair drooped over his eyes, "I'm missing a DeathCroc concert."

"My grandmum used to tell me stories about people in the woods," said a small girl with mousy brown hair, "I just thought you might want to come along since Sasha's into the paranormal."

Robinstar was immediately interested in the smaller girl who seemed to know about the clans, "Who are you?" she asked her.

"I'm Maria. This is Sasha," she said gesturing to the girl with pink hair, "And Mitch," this time pointing to the boy.

"This lady looks weird," Mitch whispered loudly. Sasha popped a piece of gum and Maria looked embarrassed.

Robinstar introduced herself and Roseheart, when the doorbell rang _again. _This time, it was a man in his mid-30's who had dreadlocks and wore a shirt with a rainbow hugging the earth on it.

_Oh brother,_ she thought,_ I might as well wait to start talking about the clans until the last person arrives._

Forty five minutes later, it seemed like the last of the guests had arrived. In addition to the people who had already showed up, three other groups arrived. A young man and woman who introduced themselves as Eric and Beth, a family of what appeared to be hippies that Robinstar ignored, and an old man with a young boy who said his name wasn't important, and that the boy's name was Zack.

"Excuse me!" Robinstar shouted above the noise that had enveloped the room, "I'd like to explain the reason I've asked you to come here," and she began to explain everything she had learned about the warrior code.

When she finished the room was silent. Then the father from the hippie family said, "We already have a religion. We don't need to believe in this "Starclan", but thank you for opening the path of the earth to us, sister," he bowed deeply and ushered his family out the door.

"Starclan isn't a religion. They are simply our ancestors who watch over us from above," Roseheart said quietly. All eyes went to her.

"This is stupid," Mitch mumbled.

Robinstar was surprised when Sasha shushed him and said, "If you don't want to be here you can leave, I want to hear what she says."

Roseheart paused for a moment and her eyes glazed over, "Long ago," she began, "The five clans ruled the forest. Thunderclan, Riverclan, Windclan, Shadowclan, and Skyclan. Clan life is only for those who wish to live an honorable life. One that is rewarding, but difficult. If you can't give all of yourself to your clan, you don't belong here. If you are good, strong, and loyal, you will join Starclan when you die. No one will tell you what to believe, only that you must follow the warrior code that Robinstar has explained to you. If you can't follow the code, please leave."

The other hippie got up to leave, and Mitch said, "I'm sick of you dragging me to crap like this, Sasha. If you want to stay with me, we're leaving now," Sasha made no move to get up, and Mitch followed the hippie out the door and slammed it.

Those who remained were Maria, Sasha, Gwen, Nicole, Sammy, Eric, Beth, Zack, and the old man who hadn't said his name.

"Are you all sure this is what you want?" asked Robinstar, "You can't live in both the world of the clans and this world. You have to decide."  
"What if we want to leave?" Gwen said nervously.

"No one will stop you from leaving, but you can't keep leaving and coming back. If you leave the clans, then you can not return."

Maria stepped forward, "I'm willing to try it. I don't remember everything my grandmum said, but I remember always wishing I could be part of the stories. Now's my chance," For a moment, her eyes turned fierce, and Robinstar could already imagine her being a warrior.

"If she's in, I'm in. We're practically sisters," said Sasha.

Emboldened by the girls words, Gwen said, "I suppose we could give it a try," She protectively wrapped an arm around Nicole and Sammy, but they wiggled out of her grip and squealed with joy.

Beth whispered something to Eric and he nodded. He lifted his head and said simply, "We'll come."

Robinstar stared at the old man and the quiet little boy who sat at his feet. He looked thoughtful, then nodded. Robinstar took this as confirmation.

"Okay," she looked around at all the people before her, "We'll have to figure out what clans you belong in, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. You can stay here if you want, we'll start first thing in the morning."

Everyone agreed to stay. Robinstar fished out several blankets and sleeping bags, and laid them across her living room floor. They all settled in, and Robinstar turned out the light. She was about to walk to her bedroom when she changed her mind, and curled up in her own spot on the floor. She listened to the quiet breathing around her and thought, _This is what it means to be a clan._

She fell asleep.


	4. Drake

**Author's note: I don't own Warriors, just these characters. Also, please forgive me if I accidentally call people cats or something. Thanks for reading. :)**

The next morning, Robinstar woke up at dawn. She looked out the big window in her living room and watched the sun rise. As each beam of light found a face to shine on, that person began to stir, one after the other. Something in the air felt magical, and though people were now up walking around, no one said a word. They all quietly found boxes of cereal in Robinstar's pantry and started eating. Even though most of them had had cereal recently, cereal now seemed bland and stale tasting. They all craved something else.

Finally, when the sun had risen completely above the horizon, Robinstar began to speak, "We have to divide you into clans. Me and Roseheart are already in Thunderclan, but there's no one in any of the other clans. No other leaders, no other deputies or medicine men at all....We have a lot of work to do."

Quickly she walked around the room and tried to find out as much as she could about each of the new clan members. The only thing that gave her any idea which clan any of them belonged to, was when Beth and Eric revealed that they were on a swim team, and both placed very high in championships.

"You could be potential Riverclan members," Robinstar told them. For the first time, everything she said had the finality of a leader's voice.

_Starclan help me, _she thought, _What clans do these people belong to?_

Suddenly, she had a vision of a young man with jet black hair, and deep soulful eyes. He had a small smile on his face, and he sat in front of a fountain. The fountain looked strangely familiar.

Robinstar turned to Roseheart, "I think we need to go somewhere," she told everyone what she had seen and said, "Anybody want to go on a field trip?"

Robinstar led the group downtown, to the Independence Fountain. It was a huge fountain that synchronized sprays of water to music played in the background. All around the fountain, were little shops selling knickknacks and souvenirs.

Robinstar scanned the plaza for any sign of the young man she had seen in her vision. She didn't see him, but he might be in one of the shops.

_I don't even know why we're looking for him, _she thought.

Suddenly, a voice whispered in her ear. This time, it sounded like Birchstar, _The leader of shadows is among his people._

_ The leader of shadows, _Robinstar thought, _maybe...Shadowclan?_

But she didn't see anyone that looked like they were part of Shadowclan. As she thought about what Birchstar had said, she felt a slight tug at her bag.

"Hey!" she yelled angrily, "That kid stole my wallet!"

She could barely see the boy who took her wallet, but she managed to chase him through the crowd. Behind her, Maria, Sasha, Eric, and Beth followed her.

_There!_ The boy had ran into a back alley that looked like a dead end. She flew around the corner and came face to face with the man from her dream.

He smirked, "Good job, Hiroki," the little boy smiled and handed Robinstar her wallet, "Looks like you came."

Robinstar was excited, but suspicious of the dark-haired leader, "Who are you?"

"My name is Drake, and these are my people. Starclan told us to find you here," out of the shadows crept five or six men and women who looked like half-starved alley cats. One of the women had a small girl about five years old huddled next to her.

Robinstar was shocked, "Why are you living in an alley?"

Drake's smirk disappeared, "We have nowhere else to go. Where are you staying?"

"At my house, where do you think? How can you let your people live like this?" she demanded, "What kind of leader are you?"

Drake looked furious, "I've done the best I can! If you're so good, why don't you let us stay with _you_!"

Drake started to say something else, but Robinstar cut him off, "Sure."

"_Excuse me?_"

"Sure, you can stay with us. There's no reason not to."

Drake's mouth opened and close several times. Finally he just said, "Oh," he paused briefly, then motioned for his followers to come with him, "We've got a new home!"

Several people cheered, and all of them were smiling. Drake walked up next to Robinstar, and they went back to get Roseheart, Gwen and her children, the old man, and the young boy.

"Are all of your people Shadowclan?" Robinstar asked politely.

Drake shook his head, "Most of us are, but Lily and her daughter are Skyclan. There's no mistaking it. I've seen them climb almost straight up the sides of buildings. They dig their fingers and the tips of their shoes into cracks in walls, and they climb," he shook his head in disbelief, "I've never seen anything like it. What about your people? You never told me which clan you were from?"

"Me and Roseheart are Thunderclan. I don't know about all of them. Eric and Beth are probably Riverclan. Why don't you have a leader's name?"

"None of my people have warrior names, so neither do I."

Neither asked anymore questions until they got to Robinstar's house. Drake's people rushed in and immediately began raiding her pantry.

Drake looked slightly embarrassed, "They haven't had a good meal in a while."

"Oh, no. It's fine," Robinstar assured him.

After everyone had eaten, Robinstar made a loud sound like a cat yowling. She wasn't sure why. Everyone turned to look at her, and she blushed deeply, "We need to divide ourselves into clans so we can tell how many people we have. Starclan told me we need ten people in each clan, not including kits. Also, each clan will need a leader, a deputy, and a medicine man. If you already are sure which clan you belong in, please go over there," she pointed to the back of the room, "and divide yourselves into clan groups. Everyone else, come up here."

There was a moment of confusion, while everyone tried to figure out where they needed to go. Most people came up front, but Robinstar saw Eric and Beth sitting quietly in a corner, representing the Riverclan group. Lily and her daughter, (Whose name she found out was Diana) were by themselves in the Skyclan group. Several of Drake's people, including himself were in Shadowclan. Hiroki, the boy who had stolen her wallet, was by himself in a group that must have been Windclan, and with herself and Roseheart in Thunderclan, were Maria and Sasha.

Gwen, Nicole, Sammy, the old man, Zack, and two of Drake's people, were undecided. The only children under six Newleafs old were Nicole and Sammy who were both five. _So that means...._she did the math quickly in her head.

"Alright, we have four in Thunderclan, Two in Riverclan, Two in Skyclan, One in Windclan, four in Shadowclan, and not including Gwen's kits, five undecided. We need at least ten in each clan, so we have," here she did more math, "eighteen clan members, and we should have fifty. Also, each clan needs a leader, a deputy, and a medicine man. Thunderclan and Shadowclan have leaders, but everything else...is undecided."

Drake cleared his throat, "I have a deputy," Next to him a girl who looked a few years younger than him, stepped forward and bowed silently, her black hair covering her face, "Rwen does her job wonderfully, and she deserves recognition."

Robinstar nodded and said, "That's great, but we need to find out where these other five people belong. Tomorrow, we should go to the forest."


	5. Into The Forest

**Author's Note: I do not own warriors, just these characters. Also, the first person to catch my reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, gets a free imaginary Drake poster. Yeah! Also, some of the name ceremonies might be messed up, because when I wrote this I didn't have internet or any Warriors books so sorry about that.**

That night, Robinstar dreamed of Starclan.

_She was in the forest, in a place that felt safe....It was a small area at the bottom of a cliff that had high walls surrounding it on three side, and a river blocking off the fourth side. It was safe from attack by predators or other clans. The cliff face had caves carved into its side. The caves sloped upward, so if something _did _attack, it would be easy to gain the upper hand. Most of the caves were ground level, but one was about seven feet up the cliff face. The only way up to it, was to climb a huge rock that jutted out of the wall. _Thunderclan,_ a voice whispered._

_ Suddenly, the world around her shifted, and she was on a good sized island in the middle of a raging river. There were deep holes dug into the ground like storm shelters. Willow trees surrounded the burrows, and made it feel shady, like a nursery of some sort. _Riverclan,_ a different voice told her._

_ Again, everything changed. Now she was standing over a small valley made by four hills. Every now and then, a tree punctuated the grassy hills that sloped away from the forest. Here, a series of tunnels ran through the hills. _Windclan, _someone said, but she could have guessed that herself._

_ Now, she was in a dark pine forest. In this place, a giant sequoia trunk had hollowed out areas around the trunk. It had to be at least fifty feet in diameter, and about ten feet tall. A mossy pond was nearby, filled with frogs and weasels, the preferred prey of- _Shadowclan.

_Finally, she was high up above the forest floor. She was near the top of a redwood tree. A giant abandoned nest left a path to hollowed out holes in the trunks of the trees. The holes had probably been left by large squirrels or woodpeckers. A series of branches made a path down to the ground. _Skyclan.

_The Skyclan camp faded away, and Robinstar saw, instead of another camp, hundreds of Starclan members. Together, they spoke with one voice, "These are the camps of the five clans. Once they were abandoned, tomorrow they will be filled. Come back to this false camp no more. Go to the homes of the clans, and those who you have not found will come to you."_

_ The members of Starclan faded, and Robinstar saw the Thunderclan camp again. This time, she saw people living there. She saw Sasha, her hair now blonde, leading a several people she didn't know out of the camp to find food. Gwen was sitting quietly in the mouth of one of the caves watching Nicole and Sammy play. Roseheart was laying in the sun, taking a relaxing nap. Maria was in another one of the caves, organizing a bunch of plants, when Nicole cried out. Maria ran to her and saw a thorn in her foot. Carefully, she pulled the thorn out of Nicole's foot, and took her back to the cave. Here, she tied cobwebs around the cut, and told Nicole she could go back to playing. Finally, Robinstar saw herself on the huge rock that led to the uppermost cave. She sat quietly, and watched the clan she had built with a look of pride._

_ Thunderclan faded away, and was replaced with Riverclan. Eric and Beth were catching fish in the shallows with one of Drake's people. She didn't recognize anyone else in the camp._

_ Now she saw Windclan's camp again. This camp was also filled mostly with people she didn't know, but she recognized the old man watching quietly as a younger woman showed Zack how to catch rabbits. Hiroki was just coming into the camp, his arms loaded with rabbits and a quail._

_ The scene changed to Shadowclan. Drake was talking to his clan from the top of the tree stump. They watched him silently, but their faces expressed their loyalty to him._

_ Lastly, Robinstar saw Skyclan again. Lily and Diana were climbing down the tree under the watchful eye of a woman Robinstar didn't know._

_ Skyclan faded, and Robinstar saw a face peering into hers that she didn't recognize, then woke up._

Robinstar's eyes flew open and she jumped up. Everyone else had already woken up, and were eating breakfast. They all stared at her, as she shook herself, trying to wake herself up completely.

"We've got to go," she told them with a smile on her face.

"Why? What's wrong?" asked Drake.

"Nothing's wrong," Robinstar said excitedly, "Everything's right! We just can't be _here_ anymore. Starclan told me it's time to find our new homes," she explained the details of her dream.

"So we're meant to stay with you?" asked Gwen nervously.

"Yes! Starclan showed me you, and Nicole, and Sammy, and Maria was a medicine woman!"

Everyone whispered nervously.

"It's perfect!" Robinstar said again, "We've just got to go now! I have this feeling in my heart...I can lead us all to the camps."

Drake looked at her, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

He nodded, "Then let's go."

Robinstar ran out the door, and everyone followed her. She had so much energy! She had never been able to run this far or this fast. Trees flew by, and she jumped over logs and rocks like a deer. No one else had any trouble keeping up with her, even Roseheart who was very old, managed to stay with the group.

Suddenly, the ground disappeared.

"Agh!" Robinstar skidded to a halt at the edge of a cliff. Everyone else stopped short, except for one of Drake's people, who began to plummet over the edge.

"Kevin!" Drake yelled. He jumped forward and grabbed Kevin's hand. Drake began to slip forward over the edge. Robinstar grabbed his legs and began to pull. Drake and Kevin were pulled back over the edge, and lay on the ground panting. Robinstar looked over the edge and saw the Thunderclan camp.

"Look!" she cried, and everyone cautiously peered over the edge.

"That's great," said Sasha, "but how are we supposed to get down there? That's a thirty foot drop."

Robinstar's heart started to feel heavy, when she noticed a steep pathway by the edge of the cliff.

"I found a way down," she said.

Everyone started to follow her, until Drake said, "Wait," everyone looked at him, "That looks hard to get down, and hard to get back up. Maybe only the Thunderclan cats should go down."

Everyone nodded, and so Robinstar started to lead the way down again, but this time, only Sasha, Maria, Roseheart, and Gwen and her kits. Sammy and Nicole had a hard time getting down, until Sasha grabbed Sammy and Maria took Nicole and carried them down.

"Thank you so much!" gushed Gwen.

_This is how clans live. Working together..._

At the bottom, they all paused. There was a sense of reverence around the camp. They could feel that this place was ancient, and that people had lived here for many years.

"You go first," someone whispered to Robinstar.

She stepped forward, and nothing happened. She took another step forward, and nothing continued to happen.

"It's safe," she said. She didn't know what they were afraid would happen, but they all came into the camp now.

Roseheart looked around, "I think this is the nursery," she pointed to a cave that was narrow at the entrance, but widened farther in, "There's room for kits to play in here, and the opening would make it hard for any animals to get in," She left Gwen and her kits there, and showed Sasha the warrior's den, "Here's the warrior's den. You can tell that's what it is, because it's the biggest. There should be more warriors then anything else in the clan," Sasha went in to explore and Roseheart went to show Maria the medicine den, "This is a wonderful medicine den. Look," Roseheart pointed to a trickle of water in the back wall, "There's a place to get water here, and look over here," she pointed to indents in the wall, "You can store herbs here."

Maria looked nervous, "I don't know about this...I wanted to be a doctor when I was little, but I've never had any formal training, and I don't know anything about herbs...."

Roseheart gently patted her on the back, "If Starclan sent our leader a message, then it must be so. You are the first medicine woman in generations, so Starclan will show you the way. Trust your intuition."

Maria looked calmed by the elder's kind words, "Thank you. I hope no one gets hurt too soon though."

"There is only one thing more I must tell you. If you become medicine woman, you may not choose a mate. That is, you can't have a husband or boyfriend."

Maria looked worried again, "I don't know...but I'll try. This is my destiny," and for a moment, she had the eyes of a true warrior again.

Roseheart left Maria in the cave to think about her new life, and she showed Robinstar the other three caves.

"This is the apprentice den. In a few months, Sammy and Nicole will be old enough to become apprentices. Your den is up there, and over here, is the elders den, where I think I'll be staying from now on. In fact, when we get back, maybe you should perform the elder's ceremony."

"How do I do that?"

"You'll know. In any case, we're keeping everyone waiting."

So Robinstar and Roseheart left the camp with Sasha in charge, and showed the rest of the clan people there camps. At Shadowclan's camp, Roseheart went up to Drake.

"Would you like to take the name of leader?" she asked him.

Drake looked stunned, but said, "I will only take my warrior name, when the rest of my clan does."

Roseheart nodded, "Soon, your clan will have their names, but your people need a leader, and tonight, Starclan will come to give you your nine lives," she explained the nine lives to Drake.

He nodded slowly, "I will take my leader name."

Roseheart turned to Robinstar, "What is his name?"

"What?" Robinstar was alarmed.

"Look into him and tell me what his name is. Starclan is telling me you know. Remember, a name is a powerful thing, and cannot be given by just anyone."

Robinstar stared at him for what felt like a long time, but she couldn't understand how she was supposed to know his name.

_Just relax, _a voice told her.

So Robinstar tried to relax. She looked at his eyes. Suddenly, she fell into them. In his eyes, was a world of darkness. Not evil, just darkness. A light blazed in the middle of it all, and shadows danced around the edges of it. Robinstar looked up at the night sky and saw that it was filled with stars.

_Night...stars...Nightstar! _She thought excitedly.

"Nightstar," she muttered. Then, louder, she said, "Nightstar!"

Something about the repetition of the name seemed right. All the Shadowclan cats started chanting, "Nightstar! Nightstar! Nightstar!"

Robinstar watched transfixed until Roseheart tapped her shoulder, "It's time to go."

Robinstar and Roseheart returned to camp. All the other Thunderclan members were sitting around a fire talking quietly. Sammy and Nicole were curled up on their mother's lap. Maria and Sasha were close together, and yet they seemed far apart somehow.

"This clan is very empty," commented Roseheart, "We need more members. Do you think it is time to give Thunderclan their warrior names."

"Yes," Robinstar said. Suddenly, she felt like she knew exactly what to do. She jumped to the top of the huge rock that she was now calling, "The Cliffrock".

Robinstar let out a warrior's cry. Everyone turned to her.

Robinstar felt the words leap off her tongue, as if they had been said many times before, "Let all men and women old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Cliffrock," everyone left the fire and huddled closer to the cliff, "Tonight, you shall all be given you warrior names," everyone began muttering excitedly,

"First, the youngest members of Thunderclan should receive their names. Sammy and Nicole, please step forward."

They looked frightened, but obeyed their leader, "Do you Sammy, and you Nicole, wish to take up the name of Thunderclan cats?"

"I do," they both said.

"Then I call upon Starclan to please look down on these kits and take the names they were born with, for they no longer describe who they are. From this day until the day you become apprentices, your names shall be Foxkit and Flowerkit."

"Foxkit! Flowerkit!" Thunderclan cried. Just like in Shadowclan, they somehow knew what to do.

"Next, would Gwen and Sasha please step forward?" they both did, "Do you both wish to take the names of Thunderclan warriors?"

"I do," they both said, though Gwen hesitated.

"Then I call upon our warrior ancestors to please look down on these women and take the names they were born with, for they no longer describe who they are. From this day on until you both join Starclan, your names shall be Dovefeather and Falconheart."

"Dovefeather! Falconheart!" Foxkit and Flowerkit ran forward to hug their mother.

"Now, we must name our medicine woman. Maria, step forward."

Maria was shaking a little, but she looked proud.

"Maria, do you wish to walk the sacred path of a medicine woman and take up the name of a member of Thunderclan?"  
"I do," she said quietly, as if to herself.

"Then I ask Starclan to look down on our medicine woman and take away the name she was born with, for it no longer describes her. I also ask that you light her path and help her learn everything she needs to know to be medicine woman. From this day, until the day you join Starclan, you shall be named Raincloud."

"Raincloud! Raincloud!" everyone yelled.

"And for our last ceremony tonight, Roseheart please step forward."

Roseheart did as she was asked.

"Is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?"

"It is."

"Thunderclan honors you for all you have given our clan, and we hope you have many Newleafs of rest."

"Roseheart! Roseheart!"  
"One final announcement. Tomorrow is the full moon. I will go to the other clans and remind them, and we shall have our first Gathering. Everyone will go this first time, but in the future, only a selected few will attend."

Robinstar started to go to the leader's den, when Roseheart approached her.

"You've done a wonderful job," Robinstar started to thank her, but Roseheart hushed her, "I never thought I would live to see the clans born again. There is still much work to do, but I believe you, Nightstar, and whoever the other leaders will be, can do this. Also, tonight you will receive your nine lives," Robinstar tried to say something again, but Roseheart held a finger to her lips and said, "Good night."

Robinstar curled up on the hard ground in her den and fell asleep.


	6. Nine Lives

_Robinstar's eyes opened, but she was not awake. She was standing in a forest washed in silver moonlight, and she knew she was in Starclan. She shivered in excitement. From the trees, Starclan began to appear. _

_ All together they said, "Welcome, Robinstar. You have earned your nine lives. Are you ready to receive them?"_

_ "I am."_

_ A dark-skinned woman stepped forward, "I am Nightsky, grandmother of Roseheart. With this life I give you courage. Use it in defense of your clan. In the coming moons you will need it."  
Robinstar had no time to wonder what she meant by this, before she felt incredible pain. Her vision dimmed, and adrenaline filled her bloodstream as she was filled with a life of battles and hunts. She knew what it was to kill or be killed._

There's no way I can do that again,_ she thought before another Starclan member stepped forward._

_ "I am Cloudstar," he smiled and the scars on his face stood out, "I believe we have met before. With this life I give you justice. Use it well to tell the difference between truth and lies. Do not be fooled by a tongue like a snakes."_

_ Robinstar flinched in preparation for another bolt of pain, and it came, but this one was different. This pain was internal rather than external, and she felt doubt and indecision, which was then cleared away by a sense of rightness, that told her the truth no matter how painful._

_ Robinstar was bent over in pain, but she forced herself to straighten up as another Starclan member stepped forward._

_ "I am Birchstar," said the young leader, too young to be dead, "We have also met in this forest of stars. With this life, I give you loyalty to what you know to be right. Use it well to guide your clan when the path is unclear."_

_ This pain seemed to be synchronized with the last one, as they were very similar. This life however, also gave her strength and conviction that reassured her that she could make the right decisions._

_ A young girl, not more than ten stepped forward and said, "I am your several times great aunt. Long before you were even thought of, I walked this forest and ran as swiftly as my namesake, Browndeer. With this life I give you tireless energy. Use it well to carry out the duties of a leader."_

_ This bolt of pain was filled with the fear of being chased by a predator, as well as the sharp hunger that a starving man felt as he hunted his prey. Her eyes watered as if a gust of wind were blowing directly into her face, and she couldn't see the next person that stepped forward until they were right in front of her._

_ When her eyes cleared, she saw it was another dark-skinned woman, who looked similar to Nightsky, "I am Leopardclaws, mother of Roseheart. With this life I give you protection. Use it well to care for your clan as a mother cares for her kits."_

_ Robinstar expected this life to be more gentle, but it was the most painful yet. With this life came the sensation of ripping and tearing at enemies savagely. She felt blind devotion, and her lips parted in a snarl before she came to her senses._

_ She didn't know the next man that stepped forward, though he looked familiar, "I am Sunfeather. Though we never met, I am your grandfather. Please honor Thunderclan in my memory. With this life I give you mentoring. Use it well to train the young men and women of your clan."_

_ Robinstar felt a burst of pain mixed with pride and nostalgia as thousands of children grew up before her. She felt the passage of time, and it both made her wise, and broke her heart._

_ An ancient man walked in front of her, "Long ago, one of your ancestors killed me in battle, even though I was a helpless elder. Learn from his mistake. With this life I give you compassion. Use it well for the elders of your clan, the sick, and all those weaker than you."_

_ Robinstar felt a painful kind of pity. The kind you felt when you could help someone in need at a __cost to yourself._

_ A young handsome boy about the same age as Robinstar stepped out from the crowd, "With this life I give you love. Use it well for all the people in your clan, especially one who is coming soon," he winked, "He'll be waiting for you."_

_ Robinstar blushed and waited for a bolt of pain that didn't come. Instead she felt like she was floating in mid air. She felt safe, warm, and most of all, loved._

_ The last person to come forward, was the Thunderclan leader she had seen in her first dream of Starclan. He smiled at her and said, "Young leader, we have met before, though I never named myself. When I ruled Thunderclan, I was named Ravenstar. From now until you join me here in Starclan, Raven will watch over and protect the robin that flies beneath him, for with her lies the hope of the clans. With this life I give you nobility, certainty, and faith. Use it well and lead your clan in the ways of Starclan and the warrior code."_

_ Robinstar felt a bolt of pain, greater than all the ones before, and she felt the power, and loneliness of being leader. She cried out in pain, and it was over._

_ All of Starclan disappeared except for Ravenstar. His smile faded and was replaced with a deep look of worry, "There is something I must tell you, but another must be present," he looked down at the ground, which became translucent, and she saw Raincloud's sleeping form float up and the ground became solid again._

_ Raincloud's eyes popped open, and she looked around amazed._

_ "Where am I?"_

_ "You are with Starclan," Ravenstar told her, "and I am about to give you your first prophecy," his eyes glazed over and he said, "The clans fell when a storm blocked out the stars. A storm is coming, and you must stop it."_

_ Ravenstar and Raincloud began to fade, and Robinstar found herself in the leader's den again._

Robinstar's eyes opened and she saw the sun was now shining. She stretched and thought, _Time to get to work._


End file.
